The Producer
Despite being founded fairly recently in 1991, the Cogno family is no stranger to winemaking. Before founding the Elvio Cogno winery, Elvio Cogno founded the famous Macarini winery with Giuseppe Macarini in the late 1950s. At the Macarini winery, Elvio was in charge of most of the work in the vineyards as well as the cellars. Here Elvio produced many successful vintages, and was one of the first wineries to include the mention of a vineyard on a bottle of Barolo, with the mention of the Brunate vineyard on his 1964 Barolo. Giuseppe Macarini passed away, his children joined the winery, and in the late 1980s Elvio decided to go his own way.
In 1990 Elvio purchased the Cascina Nuova estate in his hometown of Novello, which included vineyards in the prestigious Ravera cru. Elvio was joined by his daughter Nadia and her husband Valter Fissore who worked with Elvio at Macarini for a few years. Their first Barolo was made from the 1991 harvest and was labeled Barolo Ravera, it was the first Barolo to mention the Ravera name on the label. Today, Ravera is listed as an important MGA, and is considered one of the greatest sites for Barolo production in all of Langhe. Valter, a trained Enologist shadowed Elvio’s work for several years, and today he and Nadia run the estate. The winemaking style at Elvio Cogno is traditional, and hands off, as Valter says, “so that the extraordinary terroir of the vineyards is free to express its unique character, aroma, and color”. The estate currently produces 11 different wines, all of which are from grapes indigenous to the area. Among these wines is the extraordinary Barolo Riserva Ravera Vigna Elena, an extremely unique Barolo made from 100% Rosé, a variety which until very recently was thought to be a clone of Nebbiolo, but now researchers have discovered is actually its own distinct variety, though likely a close relative of Nebbiolo. To our knowledge, this is the only Barolo made 100% from the Rosé variety, and it’s an extraordinary, delicious, and unique Barolo. Elvio Cogno also produces a Barbera d’Alba made from 120+ year old, ungrafted vines, a wine which they call “Barbera d’Alba Pre-Phylloxera”, due to the fact that these vines surveyed the infamous Phylloxera plague of the late 1800s which destroyed nearly all of Europe’s grape vines. To our knowledge, this is the only Barbera d’Alba produced from ungrafted vines with such advanced age. The resulting wine, like Cogno’s Vigna Elena, is incredible, and an extremely unique expression of this grape variety.
Technical Info
Comune: Calosso Province: Asti Region: Piedmont Altitude: 350 meters above sea level Sun Exposure: Southeast Varietal Composition: 100% Moscato Bianco Vine Age: 30 years old Vinification: Soft pressing, clarification with pectolytic enzymes; temperature controlled fermentation at 59°F in steel fermentors. Fined and filtered prior to bottling.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Translucent, light straw colored appearance. Not visibly “frizzante”.
Aromas: Honey, raisins, lilacs, apples, and a hint of citrus.
Palate: Flavors of sweet, very fresh, honey crisp apples. Presented in a slightly sparkling “frizzante” style (about the same level of fizz you’d get from a Lambrusco). Sweetness is about 8.5/10, with great acidity to balance it out.
Notes: Enjoyed with cantucci and was excellent. Also pairs great with savory dishes like bacon or charcuterie.
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